Aid to Bible Understanding
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Aid to Bible Understanding (1969) was the first doctrinal and biblical encyclopedia of Jehovah's Witnesses. The book, now out of print, was originally published in 1969 by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, revised in 1971 but superseded in 1988 by the two-volume work Insight on the Scriptures. It is also referred to as the Aid Book.
[edit] Contents
The Aid Book cross-references articles by biblical subject using over 40 different translations of the Bible. In this sense, the work is more like a concordance than encyclopedia. The first volume, covering articles beginning with A-D and part of E, was released on July 9, 1969 at the "Peace on Earth" International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The work has 1,696 pages, contains color maps on its end sheets and some black and white illustrations within with the text, but is not indexed.
[edit] Background
The writing of and research for Aid Book lead to different interpretations of Bible verses and seems to have been a catalyst for Jehovah's Witnesses to adjust doctrines after its publishing. For example, in the mid 1970's the Watchtower Society delegated oversight of congregations and branch offices to committees of elders. (See Nathan Knorr:Organizational Adjustments.) The commentary on the subjects "Older Man" and "Overseer" in the 1971 publishing of this book had called into question the use of individual elders as overseers, or single points of authority within the religion's organizational structure.[1]
Controversy also arose regarding the Aid Book as high-profile members of the religion who contributed to its articles eventually left the organization. (See Raymond Franz.) Officially, the encyclopedia has an anonymous author, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, yet the organization admits over "250 researchers ... contributed to the work". (Aid 5). Raymond Franz, an ex-Jehovah's Witness, claimed to be one of these researchers and says the vast majority of the contributions submitted could not be used because of credibility or superficiality.[2] Instead, Franz says that Nathan H. Knorr appointed Lyman Swingle (later part of the Governing Body), Edward Dunlap of the Gilead school staff, along with Franz in the Writing Department, as the primary writers. Frederick W. Franz, the organization's vice president, advised these writers when scholarly questions arose, or referred them to secular Bible commentaries held by the world headquarters' library.[3]
[edit] References
- Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Aid to Bible Understanding. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.: New York, 1971.
